Market Wrap: Banks Profit Well in Q4; Obama Firm on Firearms; Raging Battle for Herbalife - InvestingChannel

Market Wrap: Banks Profit Well in Q4; Obama Firm on Firearms; Raging Battle for Herbalife

FREE Breaking News Alerts from StreetInsider.com!

E-mail Address

Top NewsMost Read Highlighted

January 16, 2013 5:22 PM EST Tweet

Get AlertsJPM Hot Sheet

BUY ( Up)

End of the Day: S&P 500 up 0.3 to 1,472.63; Dow Jones down 23.7 to 13,511.23; Nasdaq up 6.8 to 3,117.54

The following is a brief summary of events moving markets today:

* President Obama took the stage once again today to encourage Congress to take action over gun control. His proposals include the restriction of high-capacity ammo clips, more funding for local police forces, and increased scrutiny for background checks on firearms sales.

For more provisions and color on the topic, click here.

* On the earnings front, you had reports from big banks like JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). Both ended up topping expectations, a relief for shareholders and something that might set a good tone for Bank of America on Thursday. For a brief look at JPMorgan results, click here.

* The Fed delivered its Beige Book today, reporting that regional banks observed modest or moderate economic growth. The Fed stated: “Since the previous Beige Book, activity in the New York and Philadelphia Districts rebounded from the immediate impacts of Hurricane Sandy. Growth in the Boston, Richmond, and Atlanta Districts appears to have increased slightly, while the St. Louis District reports some slowing.” For the complete report, click here.

* Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) was alive today on more chatter. Today, we have a potential combination with an H-P (NYSE: HPQ) unit as well as only one private equity firm still aiming for the prize.

* Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) shares were ‘gettin’ jiggy wit it’ Wednesday afternoon on reports that activist investor Carl Icahn bought in in hopes to pop whatever short Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman was riding. Shares still ended down 2.5 percent and were lower in after-hours trading.

* eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) was initially lower in a knee-jerk reaction following fourth-quarter results, but 24 percent growth in an already robust payments segment brought investors back in. Revs were $3.99 billion for EPS of 70 cents, versus consensus views calling for revs of $3.98 billion and EPS of 69 cents. For more color, click here.

* Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) issued preliminary fourth-quarter numbers today, with earnings and revenue falling short of expectations. Shares ended about 5.6 percent lower.

Click hereto go to Streetinsider’s Full News Feed and never miss a beat!

Join StreetInsider.com FREE and get immediately alerted when news breaks on your stocks and other market items – JOIN NOW